Much of the land and buildings RCS uses here are part of a 99-year lease we struck with them in 2012. This lease will continue to provide for RCS to operate, enjoying a major financial advantage over other NoCo Christian schools for the next 88 years of the lease. 119,000 square feet for 1 dollar per year.
Outside of that lease are additional land and facilities Rez has allowed RCS to use with our permission and blessing. This additional support from Rez to RCS accounts for roughly another 300k in rent subsidies annually that RCS enjoys.
A few weeks ago, RCS sued Rez Church in an attempt to permanently secure these additional church facilities for RCS use and to subsume everything they have used with our permission under the current 99-year lease. Despite the Pastoral Mediator’s recommendation to arbitrate the matter and keep it private, an RCS attorney sent Rez Church an amendment to the lease and gave us only 6 hours to sign it, effectively compelling church leadership to make a 99-year decision under threat to sue us the very next day if we refused to sign the amendment.
We didn’t agree to the amendment, and RCS sued their founding organization the next day.
What is at stake for this great church in this lawsuit is nothing less than protecting Rez Church’s operational control of our own land and facilities, protecting our property rights as landowners, and protecting our ability as a church to enforce our statement of faith on our own land and in our own buildings.
We are not choosing this lawsuit, but the stakes are too high for us to fail to respond in court.
Please pray for God’s will to be done. Mostly, please pray for reconciliation between these organizations.
Joint Statement from Rez.Church and RCS
The leaders of Rez and RCS are actively cooperating and pursuing a long-term solution that will ensure the success of both organizations.
Thank you for your prayers regarding the church/school relationship – we have seen encouraging progress as a result. Rez.Church and RCS have agreed to engage in professional mediation on June 12. We ask for your continued prayer regarding this mediation, that there would be:
- Complete resolution of the disputes in question
- That God’s will for both the church and school would prevail through the outcome of mediation
- That the mission of both Rez.Church and RCS would be strengthened through this process.
Thank you for your interest, investment, and prayers for both the church and school. We believe the best days are ahead.
To the Rez.Church family:
We at Rez are profoundly grateful to Pastors Clay Peck, Matt Hessel, Dan Harty and Tom Ewing for their willingness to lead RCS and Rez.Church through the spiritual mediation process. We are grateful that these leaders devoted so much time, care, thought and prayer toward the mediation efforts between Rez and RCS. See letters from the mediators below.
The mediators have strongly, unanimously and publicly recommended professional mediation and/or binding arbitration as a pathway forward for the church and school. This course of action is only possible if both parties agree to make good on pursuing this recommended pathway. Rez is submitted to this wise counsel. We are willing to meet RCS in professional mediation or binding arbitration. We leave it to RCS to decide which of these two recommendations they prefer.
Please pray that all parties involved would remain submitted to spiritual authority and counsel. Please pray that professional mediation or binding arbitration would happen quickly so both great organizations could work out differences discreetly and in a manner worthy of our respective callings in Christ Jesus.
Prayerful and hopeful,
Rez.Church Pastors and Trustees
Resurrection Christian School (RCS) was birthed by Rez.Church and officially launched as a ministry extension of Rez.Church in 1996 as a separate 501c3. Rez.Church built over 119,000 sq ft of facilities, in three phases, and then leased this space to RCS for 99 years for $1 a year. RCS has flourished and today welcomes over 1500 students Preschool through 12th grade. Although separate organizations, Rez.Church has added over $20 million in in-kind value to RCS over the last 25 years. Additionally, Rez.Church provides more than $1.5 million of in-kind annual support. Rez.Church and RCS are currently engaged in pastoral mediation to explore what the future of our relationship will be so both organizations can continue to thrive.
FAQ
Q:
“Did Rez.Church remove RCS from holding their 2022 graduation ceremonies in their auditorium?”
A:
No. RCS communicated to Rez they moved venues due to a capacity issue. We love hosting RCS events. Rez.Church has and will continue to offer RCS first right to reserve Church spaces, including our 1400 seat Auditorium, as they are available.
Q:
“Did Rez.Church refuse RCS’s request to make adjustments to Rez.Church’s baseball field?”
A:
Rez.Church stated to RCS that no improvement agreements would be made until a lease is signed. Lease discussions have been in process since July 18th. Additionally, Rez.Church has provided a temporary proposal that would allow RCS to begin field improvements immediately.
